Dakota Norway's DC 3 from 1942 is back in the air. Many people have seen and heard the aircraft recently, as technical test flights have been carried out and the pilots' certificates have been renewed.
The aircraft has been on the ground for more or less five seasons. The 2019 season was interrupted by a technical problem that took a long time to rectify.
Then, in 2020, came the Corona pandemic that prevented flying in 2020 and 2021.
In 2022, a new technical problem arose of such a special nature that it took winter and spring - literally - to find the fault. In addition, there was an accident on the ground with damage to the elevator, another time-consuming and costly affair to repair.
The aircraft is now ready for regular operations again. The half-hourly flights over Vestfold can be resumed at a time of year when we usually put the aircraft in the hangar for the winter.
Since so much flight time has been lost, Dakota Norway has decided to offer round-trip flights in the fall of 2023 during the day on Saturdays and Sundays, not in the afternoons as previously. But as before with weather reservations.
The first tours will take place on Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8, meeting at Torp's old military site on the east side of the runway no later than 12:00.
The first flight will be at approximately 13:00, and the number of flights will depend on attendance.
You can find the Dakota hangar like this:
Exit at junction 40 on the E18. You will then come through two roundabouts: Follow Tassebekkveien straight east for about 2400 meters. You will come to a small hilltop where there are several signs, including "Dakota hangar". Here Bredholtveien turns right. Follow it until you come to a barrier. When there are Dakota flights, the gate will be open. Then take the second road to the right after the barrier, and you will arrive at the hangar after 200 meters.
GPS address is: Bredholtveien 220, 3160 Stokke.
ATTENTION: We do NOT fly from the Dakota terminal on Torp's west side where the flights have been led from previous years.
Further information on Dakota Norway's website: